This paper deals with the simulation and optimization of an auto-thermal ammonia synthesis reactor. In the present study, three methods, viz., Eulers method, Runge-Kutta method (4th order with fixed step size) and NAG subroutine (D02EJF) in MATLAB, are used for simulation. A software package POYMATH is also used to solve three coupled model equations. The effect of top temperature on the optimal reactor length is discussed and results are compared with that reported in literature. Also, the Differential Evolution (DE) in combination with Runge-Kutta method is used for optimization, considering both reactor length and top temperature simultaneously as independent variables. The new results obtained for optimal reactor length and top temperature are presented.
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